


Who Am I?

by Triskellion



Series: Consultant Verse [1]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-10
Updated: 2012-10-24
Packaged: 2017-11-13 23:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 15,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/509028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Triskellion/pseuds/Triskellion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After one lecture too many, Clark is cracking around the edges. It's always his fault. His life is a mass of lies. Where, at the heart of it all, is the real Clark?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Trigger

**Author's Note:**

> This is the beginning of an idea rattling around my head. Whether I'll continue it is up in the air. For now, an opening scene to set the stage.

“Son, you have to be more careful. You can’t afford to stand out, especially now.”

Clark tried to calculate how many times he had heard his father use those exact words. Then how many times it had been a variation on the theme. He gave up.

“It was just a math test,” Clark said. The calculations had filled the empty gap of time in his own mind, but in reality had taken only a few seconds, so his words came quick on the heels of his father’s harangue.

“A math test your teacher felt obliged to call your mother in over.”

Clark wanted to scream, but he knew it wouldn’t do any good. Yes, his teacher called his mother in, his father too, but Jonathan hadn’t been available. Called them in to discuss whether Clark was lying about his potential in math or had cheated on his last math test (well, last two). After all, straight B students don’t usually get perfect scores on two successive exams.

Actually, it was probably the extra credit problems that were the real problems. He’d been too eager to show he was a good student after the incident with the red meteor rock, to show he was a good son, that he’s gone ahead and done _everything_ right. And those extra credit problems had been college level. At least.

Oops.

“They called your mother while she was at work. Lionel Luthor heard.”

Clark stifled a groan and an eye roll. Either would have just lengthened the lecture. But sometimes it was all too much. Under other circumstances, with other parents, if he wasn’t an _alien_ , he probably would have been labeled a math prodigy. Maybe a science prodigy too. He was good at math, good at science, it all made such sense. But no, he was Clark Kent, average student, nobody. And no one asked why he was checking out college lecvel math text, shipped in from Metropolis, at age 10.

“Your father just wants to keep you safe.”

Clark closed his eyes and pressed his clenched fists to his forehead. No point trying to calculate the number of times he’d heard that phrase from his mother, or something in the theme from either parent. The value approached infinity too quickly, especially since he’d fallen through into the caves and met Kyla Willowbrook. His parents were even more emphatic about avoiding exposure now that there was something alien out there that other people knew about.

He wanted to hit something, but that was never an option. Not for him. But if he didn’t find an outlet soon, he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be considered sane. Safe maybe, but what good would that do him if he was bugnuts. Would that do any more to keep him protected from an alien autopsy?

And he wasn’t sure how much he cared any more. Fine, he’d be dead, but it would be over. The lies would be over. One thing the meteor rock incident had made clear was that he was completely sick of his life, of being stifled by the farm and the expectations of his parents. Not only had he maxed out his parents credit cards to settle his desire not to be the poor kid, chased two different girls so he wouldn’t be the unswave geek, and stolen Lex’s car so he’d have mobility, he’d also passed every exam and improved every grade in school. 

If his id hadn’t focused on ‘want, take’ and sex, he might have been in real trouble. As it was, he had maybe a week before another teacher called about the improvement in his perfect eighty percent scores.

He just wanted…

“I know, I know. I just…” The words poured from him on a wave of pent up frustration that even red meteor rock hadn’t reached. “Sometimes it would be nice to be myself in just one thing.”

Something other than farm work, which was all to his parents advantage, not his. Sure, he wanted to keep the farm in the family, but it sometimes seemed so wrong that the one place he was encouraged to be himself was the one that was to his parents advantage. And that had come back to bite them when Nixon had been skulking around. But who was told to be more careful?

How would his having been a good student really put him at risk?

“Clark.”

One word, filled with such disappointment. It didn’t matter which parent it came from. The sentiment was from both. They didn’t understand, weren’t budging.

“No.” The word came out flat, emotionless as a computer. He couldn’t find the anger that had rushed through him before, nor the frustration. All he felt was… lost.

His parents continued talking, lecturing, ordering, but he was done listening, done caring, done… everything. Clark walked out of the kitchen, across the yard, and into the barn. Settling into his loft, his fortress of solitude, he looked out the window at the sky beyond the farm. It was the perfect place to think for awhile, to sort things out.

Solitude, a state of being alone. And one thing Clark Kent, or whatever his real name might be, was alone.


	2. Day 1

Day 1

“Mrs. Kent?” Creaky stairs. Cherry chap-stick in the breeze.

“Chloe. What are you doing here?”

“I brought Clark’s homework. Mr. Kent said I should bring it up here… Is he okay?”

Soft sigh. “I wish I knew.”

“He seemed fine yesterday.”

“I know. It’s complicated.”

“Can I help?”

“I suppose you can try talking to him. So far nothing I or his father has said has gotten through.”

“Hey, Clark. We missed you at school today. Dustin tried to flirt with Lana. She flattened him, promise.” Pained laugh. “I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours, but it can’t be that bad. I mean, we’ve survived meteor freaks and cafeteria food. We can deal with this…

“He’s not even moving.”

“I know. He’s been like this since last night.”

“What happened? Clark’s always so strong.”

“I think that’s half the problem. Everyone has a breaking point. Hopefully… hopefully now that he’s reached this one, he’ll take a little time and heal. And we’ll move on.”

“Clark… I don’t know what’s wrong. But whatever it is, I’m here to listen when you need me. I want to help.”

A warm touch on his shoulder, hand smaller than his mother’s or his father’s. The smell of cherry chap-stick got stronger for a moment before fading away.

_Thanks for the offer, Chloe, but you can’t research this one into the ground._

Clark turned his attention away from his mother and his friend. He wondered if he could focus hard enough to see the stars beyond the blue sky.


	3. Day 2

“Clark, man, what’s going on? Your parents are worried sick. Chloe said you didn’t even move when she came over yesterday….

“Have you moved at all since yesterday?”

“Not since he settled in, as far as we can tell.”

“But… what about food, water? Bathroom breaks? I know he’s… well, different. But Mr. Kent, not that different.”

Deep sigh. “He’s never seemed that different before, but now… we don’t know what’s going on. Martha keeps hoping he’s raiding the fridge at night, but I haven’t seen a sign of it.”

“Shit… sorry, it’s just—“

“It’s alright, son. I understand. We feel the same way.”

“Come on, Clark. Snap out of it. If this is some… alien thing… well, we can work it out.” Warm fingers on his shoulder. 

“I’m really sorry, Mr. Kent. I’d hoped… well, here’s his homework for today, and his last English paper. Mrs. Whyte held it up as an example to us all. Said it was the best researched paper she’d seen in years.”

Tension in the loft rachetted up. _Damn it, Dad. It’s an English paper. Those take work._

“I’d hoped he’d tell me where he got the reference he used. I couldn’t find it in the school library.”

Clark pointed at the couch, a pile of books on the cushion, barely shifting any other muscles. Did his shirt crackle with the movement?

“Clark, hey, what’s this?” 

Clark returned to his original pose.

Footsteps on wood, a squeaky board. Pete should know to avoid that one. “Hey, this is the reference you used. Where’d you get this?” Paper flipping. “Oh come on. The Luthor library? Does the jerk know you’re raiding his books for references?”

“Clark!”

_Screw listening to this._ Clark was pretty sure he could hear Lana singing to her horses down at the Potter land. New gift? Like he needed another one. But still… If he could hear over a mile to Lana’s horse barn, what else could he hear?


	4. Day 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided Kyla survived her attempt to upset Lionel, but her relationship with Clark is in flux at this time. Just because it adds more layers of complexity. Not that I'm sure how to deal with any of them yet.

Day 3

Soft, hesitant steps on the stairs, barely creaking. Shoes shushing as they rub against the wood with each step.

“Clark?” Was Lana’s voice always as hesitant as her steps.

“Oh, Clark.”

Silence. That was a change. Everyone else who came talked. And talked.

Warm hands on his shoulders. Now arms circling his shoulders, soft hair against his cheek.

“I miss you.” Soft, plaintive. “Dustin has been flirting with me at school. And Dan keeps coming into the Talon. I need you back….”

Muscles tighten under Clark’s skin. He’d pull away, but can’t be bothered to move that far. If he focuses hard enough, he can hear Lex talking to investors in his office. Much more interesting.

~o0o~

“Kyla, thank you for coming over.”

“I’m happy to try and help, Mrs. Kent. I’m afraid there’s nothing in the legends about this kind of behavior.”

“I don’t want to depend on legends. I just want my son back. I was hoping… well, you two seem to have a bond. I was hoping you might get through to him.”

“Has anyone?”

“Not that I know of. It’s been almost three days now.”

“Clark?” Gentle touch of lips on his cheek. “Come now, Naman. You shouldn’t worry your parents so….”

 _Boring._ Hey, if he could listen to Lex, maybe he could listen to Lionel. Figure out what the bastard was planning.

Not that there was anything he’d be inclined to do with the knowledge. Not now.

Not anymore.


	5. Day 4

Day 4

“Lex, what are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry to intrude without calling, Mrs. Kent, but I was at the Talon and overheard Lana and Chloe discussing Clark as though he were unwell.”

Deep sigh. “I’m afraid he is.”

“Is it contagious?”

“Umm… no. No.”

“Then may I visit with him for awhile?”

“Luthor, what are you doing here?”

“Hush, Jonathan. Lex just wants to visit with Clark.”

“No.”

“Why not? We’ve let all his other friends visit.”

“I don’t mean to cause trouble, Mrs. Kent, Mr. Kent.”

“No trouble at all, Lex. You go on. He’s up in the loft.”

Footsteps, soft leather on gravel.

“What do you think you’re doing, Martha? No one can help but notice that something not normal is going on with Clark. How are we going to explain this?”

“I don’t give a good God damn about explaining it. I just want our son back. If there is any chance that Lex can get through to him—“

“Why Lex? Pete’s been his friend longer.”

Clark would have liked an answer, but his parents fell silent as Lex came up the stairs. Probably glaring at each other. They did that a lot these days.

“Hey, Clark. I hear you’re not feeling too well.”

_Understatement._

“I had hoped to have you over for a movie tonight. I just got early cuts of the Bourne Identity and XXX. That one has Vin Diesel. I know you enjoyed that street racing movie he was in last year. What as the name….”

Silence.

“Well, perhaps next week. You’ll be happy to hear I won a contract out from under my father. The last few days have been quite busy, business wise. I think we’ve found a good new source for—“

Business. Lex’s business was kind of interesting. Not that Clark had ever admitted as much to anyone. There were layers of complexity that would make a computer seize up. Of course, it required a solid understanding of human behavior, something Clark always struggled with. Was that because he was a teenager or an alien? He wasn’t sure.

“And I renegotiated the deal for packaging with Jerome Plastics.”

Oh, wait, Clark had listened in to that conversation.

“Why…” He had to pause to cough. Damn his throat was dry. “Why didn’t you negotiate down to five per thousand? There’s room. Isn’t there?”

Silence. Shit. Right. That was why he wasn’t—

“Good question. You’re right, I could have negotiated down further, but settling at seven means maintaining a better relationship. Jerome could provide at five, but at seven he’s more likely to re-up the contract and not be intimidated by LuthorCorp into breaking it. And LexCorp can afford the difference.”

A bottle of water appeared in Clark’s field of view, held out by Lex.

“Here, this should help with that cough.”

Creaking echoed through the loft as the muscles in Clark’s arm unlocked and stretched. His arm moved from where his fist had been propping his chin to grasp the water. It did look good.

“There. Now, you should have gotten your English paper back by now. How did your teacher like your take on Romeo and Juliette?”

“Haven’t read her notes yet,” Clark whispered, then sipped water. Cool, it flowed over his tongue and down his throat. It didn’t feel like he even needed to swallow.

“Ah, hadn’t considered you haven’t been to school in a few days.”

“Should take your book back.”

“Since I’m here. Oh, I forgot you’d borrowed Hawkings. Did you enjoy it?”

It was nice to talk again. Lex never made him feel bad for not knowing everything he did, and always encouraged him to expand what he did know. Lectures on ancient cultures were only the beginning of their conversations.

When the first bottle of water came up empty, Lex threw another at Clark. The older man paced around the loft space, looking at the books scattered about, and Clark turned his head to watch every move.

They were arguing about black hole theory when Martha came up the stairs.

“Maybe you should apply to a school with a good astrophysics department.”

“Clark! Oh, Clark. We’ve been worried sick.”

Clark froze, eyes looking far from his mother. “Not an option,” he muttered before turning back to the window. He dropped the bottle of water in his hand, the third Lex had forced on him, ignoring the sound of the contents pouring over the wood planks at his feet. His eyes fixed out the window. There was a squirrel in the oak tree on the far side of the field that had been poisoned last year. If he focused just right, he could see between the red hairs and pick out the gray undercoat of its fur.

“I don’t see why not. You’ve got a good eye for the theory, and your grasp of mathematics is better than mine.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Clark is either a math genius or the Smallville high math education is beyond compare. I’ve had him double checking the equations we use in the fertilizer research at the plant and he’s caught three errors in the last two months.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Jonathan.”

“I must disagree, Mr. Kent. He caught two errors in the differential equations we use to analyze the effect of the ratio of ingredients that the computers made.”

“But he’s only in geometry.”

“What are differential equations?”

“I see….”

Clark was tempted to look at Lex. He knew that tone of voice. It often occurred right after Clark lied, badly, about something he’d done that should have been impossible. 

On second thought, Clark was tired of lying. And Lionel had just picked up the phone. Who could he be dealing with in England?


	6. Day 5

Day 5

“I did some asking around town.” 

Clark knew. He’d been listening to Lex as he interacted with the people of Smallville all day. It had been interesting, hearing how smoothly a Luthor trained person could collect information, even from the less than willing. But Lex had a flair for it his father couldn’t match, a human touch Lionel lacked.

“No one can figure out what set this off. The closest thing I could find was a rumor that you’ve been doing better in school. Oh, and something about a meeting between your math teacher and your parents, but no indication of anything bad. I am… bemused to hear that you’re known as a straight B student. Totally nothing special.”

Oh, that was too much. Clark couldn’t hold back a snort of laughter.

Lex dangled a bottle of water before his eyes. “You sound dusty again. And I’d love to hear your explanation of this.”

Clark took the water and sipped, but didn’t say anything.

“I suppose that’s one way to avoid lying. I always assumed you were only lying to me. Now I’m wondering….”

Clark winced. “I’m not sure what’s a lie and what’s the truth anymore.”

“Interesting….” Lex stepped in into view, studying Clark. Clark studied him back, the water in his stomach rolling over uncomfortably.

“I don’t want to lie anymore.”

Lex finally nodded and turned away. “Fair enough.” Silence, footsteps. A plate containing a slice of Mom’s apple pie appeared in view. “Eat. Your mother’s worried sick. I’ve got a sandwich the size of your fist too, but I thought you’d like to start with that.”

Lex held it there as though he was willing to hold it forever. Even Mom didn’t hold out that long. Eventually, Clark gave in and took the plate. It did smell good.

“I think my father’s up to something. He’s been smirking under his sunglasses the last few days.”

Clark chuckled as he savored his first bite of pie. Extra cinnamon, just the way he liked it. “He’s been calling England and China in the middle of the local nights.”

Lex froze mid pace. For a moment the silence in the loft hardened with old anger.

“Going to lie to me now about how you know that?”

“No.”

“Going to explain how you know that?”

Clark considered it. But when he tried to bring the words to his lips, he was too scared to say them.

“No,” he finally said.

The anger dissipated completely. “Well, I suppose that’s a step in the right direction. Got any names I can look up?”

Clark listed three, and somehow conversation rolled between them in easy waves. He even let Lex shove the sandwich into him and three more bottles of water.

“Stop letting your father bully you,” Clark was saying as he caught the sound of footsteps on the stairs. He froze. Lex turned to look at the stairs the moment he noticed Clark’s reaction. Mom….

“Well, at least he’ll talk to you.”

Seeing Dad coming up the stairs after Mom, Clark turned back to the window, fully intending to tune back out.

“I had a feeling you’d be the one to get him to open up, even before yesterday.”

“Martha.”

“I’m not sure I understand, Mrs. Kent.”

“You two… just seemed to connect from the first time you met.”

“Well, having someone save your life is a pretty big connection.”

“No, that was the second time you met.”

“Martha.”

“No, Jonathan. It’s time they knew. Why not tell?”

“Tell what?”

“The day of the meteor shower, we’d just found Clark when your father came running out of a flattened corn field and begged us to help him with his son. With you. We brought you to the hospital, all of us crammed in the cab of our truck.”

Quiet footsteps, the soft brush of skin on skin. Clark didn’t know if he should be amazed because he wouldn’t have heard that a week ago, or angry that Mom was touching Lex so sweetly.

“You were so sick, your hair falling out, gasping for breath. But Clark just looked at you with that sweet smile of his. He touched your cheek, and you seemed to get better for the rest of the drive.”

“Of course you went back to gasping at the hospital. Only time I’ve ever seen Lionel Luthor look less than polished.”

Clark wanted to growl at the derisive tone, wanted to tell his father just what he thought of his attitude towards Luthors. But it wouldn’t change anything. Just another chapter of the same old argument, and he’d sworn off the old arguments with his parents already.

“I never knew.”

Neither had Clark, and he had an excellent memory. Just how much had he managed to block over the years? How much had he lost?


	7. Day 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, I don't quite know where this is going. But I hope a few people are enjoying the quest anyway.

Day 6

Clark went inside. Instead of focusing on the tree across the way or sounds from distant homes, he closed his eyes and tried to sort through his own memories. He wanted to remember that day, the first day he’d met Lex. And maybe, just maybe, if he could find that memory, he could find something from before that day.

He wanted, so desperately, to know what he was. The desire had been building since his parents told him about the ship, and doubled since he found out about the Kawatche legends that sounded so much like they might be about him.

But how was he supposed to know anything about himself when everywhere he went, anyone he talked to, whatever he did he lied in word, action, or deed.

He almost didn’t hear the soft voice of Kyla in his ear, so deep was he in his own mind.

“Come back to me, Naman.”

It was not the first time she had said that.

“You have a destiny to fulfill. We have a destiny.”

Destiny. What was it with everyone in his life taking about destiny. Lex thought they were destined to meet. Kyla thought they were destined to be together. His father said he was destined for great things.

The only one that seemed to have any basis for the claim was Lex, and neither of them had known about it before yesterday. His father’s assessment seemed to have more to do with the concept of “with great power comes great responsibility.” And Kyla… well, Clark wanted more than legend and myth to base his life on, no matter how nice it was to experience reciprocal attraction for once.

“Naman, please, you must wake up.”

Really, if they were destined to be together, you’d think she’d come up with a better argument than that.

Clark sank back into his memories.


	8. Day 7

Day 7

When Clark came back to himself, he could feel the warm rays of the sun on his cheeks, how they warmed the tears flowing from his eyes. And he could hear Lex’s voice.

“Four days I’ve been researching and I still can’t find the answer. Your parents won’t talk about it, you won’t talk about it, and no one else in this town knows enough truth to even guess. Your friends are useless, sobbing wrecks, but no one knows why you’ve decided on this self-imposed coma.”

Pacing footsteps circled back and forth in time with the words pouring from Lex’s lips. As Clark fluttered his eyelids, slowly opening his eyes to the world again, Lex stomped up into view.

“You’re crying. Why are you crying? Are you listening to me? Can you hear me at all? Focus, Clark. What is going on?”

Hands wrapped around his upper arms, and for the first time in days there was no urge to flinch away. Clark smiled through his tears.

“I remember.”

“Remember? Remember what? What started all this?”

“I remember the day we first met. You were so scared. I was so scared. But somehow…..” Clark reached a stiff arm up and gently traced a fingertip along the curve of Lex’s cheek. “Being scared together made it easier.”

“Have… have you always remembered?”

“No. But my memory is perfect of the things I can remember, so I wondered why not. And I found the memory.”

“And now you’re crying.”

“No, that memory made me smile. I kept looking. I thought I didn’t remember my parents, my home before this.”

“Clark….?”

“I remember her face now. My mother. She loved me, really loved me.”

“You doubted?” Lex looked like that was an impossibility, but Clark knew better.

He nodded towards the farmhouse outside. “If they cared, why am I here? Yes, I doubted. I wondered. I questioned. But now I know. I know she loved me, I know her face. And I know her voice. She sang to me. It was the last thing I heard before everything changed.” 

Lex’s face reflected the awe that Clark felt. “Do you remember the song? Many songs sung to children are localized. We might figure out where you’re from.”

Clark shook his head, but let his mouth try and form the foreign sounds he remembered.

“Certainly not local, or even American.” Lex frowned, and Clark couldn’t resist tracing the lines that formed between pale brows. “Yet, it sounds familiar.”

“I sang it to you that day. In the truck. She always sang it to sooth me when I was scared, to tell me she loved me, and I sang it to you.”

Lex stared, his gray eyes wide with a maelstrom of emotions that Clark didn’t know how to untangle and identify. He pulled back, out of reach.

“No, if you’d been singing, your parents would have commented on that. They said you touched me.”

Creaking, Clark stood, stepped forward, and touched again, pressing the tips of his fingers to Lex’s temple.

“I didn’t sing, but I shared it. Like this.” He held the song in his mind as he’d done in his memory. “I think I’m a little bit telepathic, but that got lost over the years with no one to reach out to.”

“Ryan would have….” But Lex’s voice trailed off, and Clark could tell he heard the song. His eyes were full of awe.

“My shields were too strong. Ryan liked me because he couldn’t hear anything from me. I never tried to share anything with him.”

“Because you didn’t remember you could.”

“Right.”

“How… Maybe the meteors—“

“The meteors didn’t have anything to do with it.”

Clark might have explained further, but his guts clenched unpleasantly and he winced, pulling his arms back to hug his waist.

“Are you okay?”

He felt a sheepish smile cross his face. “I think I need to go to the bathroom. It’s been too long since all those sandwiches you stuffed down me.”

“Sandwiches? That was two days ago? You can’t really tell me you never… in two days?” Even as he protested and questioned, Lex pulled Clark’s arm over his shoulders and started guiding them to the stairs.

“Two days? Was it really? I thought I might have been up here longer.”

“You have been, but I can’t get an honest count from anyone. Your meeting with your trig teacher was last Wednesday—“

“I tuned out that night.”

“God. It’s Wednesday again. It’s been over a week, Clark. That should be impossible.”

“I can do a lot of things that should be impossible.” Clark whispered the words as they were almost to the farmhouse porch.

“Hmm, I’ve noticed. But right now you need a bathroom. And a shower. You may not stink, but your covered in dust. It’s appalling.”

The sound was rusty, but Clark chuckled. “Yes, your Luthorness. I’m surprised you can stand to touch my filthy self.”

“Well, this shirt will have to be burned, but the trousers might be salvageable.”

They teased and bantered through the house, up the stairs, and into the bathroom. Lex actually went and fetched clothes while Clark showered. And the cranky billionaire was right, Clark needed that shower. The water ran black for over a minute as the dust and hay was rinsed away.

The air vibrated with tension when Clark reappeared clean and dressed. Even so, he wasn’t afraid. In fact, he yawned, quite widely.

“I have a lot of questions still. I think you’ve only added to them.”

“I know.”

“But I think you need sleep first. Did you sleep at all while you were…” Lex waved his hand toward the barn, obviously struggling with the correct technical description of Clark’s state for the last month.

“No, not really.”

“Then go, sleep. We’ll talk later.”

Clark stumbled towards his bedroom, but clasped Lex’s hand as he passed and pulled the older man along. 

“Hey now, I need to go burn this shirt and attend to other matters.”

“I know you’ve been putting things aside for days, but I’d really like it if you stayed a little longer.” Clark settled down on his bed but still held onto Lex, looking up pleadingly.

“Green puppy dog eyes. So very wrong and yet so effective.”

“So you’ll stay?”

“I’ll stay until you wake up or your parents throw me out. If you answer one question first.”

Lying down, Clark nodded.

“What triggered this?”

“Hmm… There are several answers, each adding shades of meaning.” It might sound like hedging, but it wasn’t. Clark wanted to tell the truth, but even the truth had so many layers.

Somehow, Lex seemed to understand. “Then give me the simple answer for now.”

“I did too well in math. School in general, but math at the time. People started to notice.”

Lex’s hand tightened within Clark’s, but the older man said nothing as Clark closed his eyes and let sleep pull him under.


	9. Day 7?

Sleep bonds didn’t hold Clark all that long — that, or he slept the day around — because when his eyes next opened, the sun was still in the sky and he could hear Lex in the kitchen.

“No, I’m not leaving. I promised him I’d stay.”

“Why would you promise anything like that?”

Poor Lex, no matter how hard he tried, Jonathan would never listen. Clark was familiar with that trait, though he got slapped with it less than Lex.

“Because he asked me to.”

“Jonathan. Please. If Clark asked him to, we should let him stay. After all, it’s thanks to Lex that Clark is out of the barn and getting some sleep.”

Ah, Martha. Clark really did love her. She tried so hard to balance two hard headed men. And yes, Clark knew he was one of them. And yet, he still didn’t stand up for himself nearly enough. His friends, yes, but himself?

“How did you do it, Lex? Bribes or blackmail?”

“Jonathan!”

“I listened.”

“What do you think you’re implying?”

“I’m not implying anything. I’m stating the truth. I went up there, worried out of my mind, ranting, and suddenly realized Clark was crying.”

“Damn it, what did you do to my son?”

“I talked, I listened. He said he remembers the day we first met. And a few other things. But you should ask him about those.”

“Don’t think I won’t.”

“How is he? Really?”

Lex took a deep breath. It almost sounded like a sigh, but surely Luthors don’t sigh. 

Clark snickered at the thought.

“I’m not sure. There is so much going on inside his head, but he’s barely shared any of it. I doubt I know much more than you….”

Someone was brewing coffee. It smelled very good. Maybe Clark would have to get up. But the bed under his back felt good too. And if he listened but wasn’t in the room, he couldn’t get into another argument with his father.

“No, maybe I do.”

“Excuse me?”

“You apparently didn’t know your son can do college level mathematics. Maybe even graduate level. Did you know your son has been running business proposals past me for the farm, double checking his theories against my experience, for the last nine months?”

“Nonsense.”

“Hush, Jonathan. But why would he do that? We try to keep him out of that side of things. He doesn’t need to worry about it.”

“Doesn’t need to? Perhaps, but he does worry. He worries about you, about the farm, about his friends. And he tries to help, even when no one will listen. Has he ever shared his ideas with you?”

_No. They’d never listen/_

“You should ask him then. They’re very good. The best options need a small infusion of capital, but less than I was offering last year, and the return should be as good or better.”

“Oh, now I see, this is just about you getting your dirty money into my farm.”

“I said the best option required an infusion of capital. He’s presented several other proposals that wouldn’t require any outlay and would still double the income of this farm within a year. At least by _my_ projections.”

Damn, Lex sounded almost as bitter as he did when he talked to his own father. Hmm, that was something Clark could never say to Jonathan. He’d never take well to having something in common with Lionel.

“Look, all I want to say is that just maybe you should listen to your son a bit more. He’s got a solid head on his shoulders, and a sharp mind for numbers. If he had an outlet for those skills maybe he wouldn’t feel obliged to go hide in the barn.”

“This is all over numbers?”

Yeah, Clark probably should join in. Not let Lex solve all his problems. But it hurt to hear his mother so surprised. Had she not realized what the trigger was to his withdrawal?

A mug was set down on the counter with a loud crack. 

“Please tell me you’re joking? Or lying to me again?”

“Don’t you accuse my wife of lying, Luthor?”

“Great, name calling again. Thank you, Mr. Kent. I’d forgotten what my last name was.”

“Stop it, both of you. Jonathan, stop baiting Lex. Lex, stop letting him. Sit down, both of you and we’ll talk this out. Clearly we’ve made some mistakes recently, and Clark doesn’t want to talk to us so we should take the insight we can get.”

Silence. They were probably glaring at each other over the counter. Wood over wood and the clink of ceramic. That’s good.

“Now, Lex, what do you mean?”

“Do you remember what you were talking about before Clark went out to the barn? You don’t have to tell me. I know you aren’t comfortable with that for some reason. I can tell you what Clark told me earlier, and the other day.”

“Please. You’re the only one he’s spoken to since this began.”

“He said the trigger was that he’d done too well in school and someone noticed. And that he was tired of lying. As long as he was in that barn, he wasn’t lying to anyone anymore.”


	10. More Day 7

Clark was on his feet and down the stairs before he’d fully processed the need. Less than a second later, he was standing behind his father, holding Jonathan by the shoulders so he couldn’t launch himself across the counter at Lex.

“Jonathan, no!” Martha’s cry was begun as soon as Jonathan stood, but ended after Clark had the matter under control.

Lex barely flinched, his eyes traveling up to meet Clark’s. An eyebrow raised, and Lex glanced at the stairs, then back at Clark. Smiling a little, Clark shrugged. And for once, it seemed that was enough.

“Sit down, Dad,” Clark said, his tone firmer than his grip, but only because he didn’t want to crush his father’s shoulders. “Quite attacking the messenger just because you don’t like the message.”

“Don’t speak to me like that, Clark.” But Jonathan sat, and stayed sitting when Clark moved his hands.

“Why not. You never listen—“

“No fighting,” Martha interjected. “Clark, can I get you some coffee, some food?”

“Thank you, Mom. That would be great.” He smiled at her, but when he sat, it was on the stool next to Lex.

The kitchen remained silent except for the sound of Martha cooking until she slid a mug of coffee and a plate with an omelet in front of Clark. There were enough veggies, eggs, and cheese in the omelet to keep him quite happy, but he never stopped watching Jonathan. And Jonathan never stopped watching Lex.

“Did you sleep well, sweetie?” Martha asked as she reclaimed her seat. “You were only out a few hours.”

“Yeah. I don’t think I would have needed even that if it were summer. I like sleep, but I don’t seem to need it so much anymore.” Clark spoke between shoveling bites of food into his throat, and ignored the concerned look his parents shared.

“Lex mentioned… he said you’d remembered some things, while you were out in the barn.”

Clark grinned at his mother. “Oh, yes. I remember my birth mother. And the song she used to sing to me. It’s mostly in short flashes and snatches, but so much more than I had.” He paused, considering the best words to use. He didn’t want to upset his parents, but it was important. “I remember… her saying she loved me.” Lex’s hand settled on his knee, and it was soothing. “That I had to go, but… she didn’t want me to go. I don’t know why they sent me away, but it wasn’t because I was unwanted.”

“Oh, Clark.” Martha stood, and walked over to wrap her arms around his shoulders. “Did you ever think you might have been?”

“I…” Tears filled his eyes, and Lex’s fingers tightened their grip. “Sometimes, I wondered. They sent me away. And I know you and Dad love me, but it still….”

“There was a place inside that always wanted to know,” Lex said in a low tone, and when Clark met his eyes, he saw far too much understanding and familiar pain.

“I’m sure they loved you every bit as much as we do.” Martha pressed a kiss to his crown. “Though it seems we haven’t shown that well enough of late.”

“Oh, Mom. I never doubted you guys love me. It’s just… complicated.”

“You feel stifled,” Lex said, and Clark nodded.

“Stop putting words in my son’s mouth,” Jonathan snapped, slapping his hands on the counter.

“Is it putting words in my mouth if he’s right?” Clark wanted to huff, or throw something at his father. He was being an idiot, so caught up in his anger that he wasn’t listening. Or Clark hoped he wasn’t listening because if he was then Jonathan was a bigger bastard than Lionel, and Clark didn’t want that to be true.

“I’m sorry, but I’m so sick of lying about everything. If I’m not lying about how smart I am, I’m lying about how strong I am, or who I am, or where I’m from. Oh, wait, I’m lying about all of them, all the time. All I did was pass a few tests, and it’s the same old lecture. Is it really so bad to be good in school? To stand out in one small way?”

Jonathan didn’t answer, but Clark did hear a car coming up the drive. No, two cars, and a horse coming across the fields.

“Company,” he said. After wiggling out of Martha’s hug, he headed towards the stairs. No way he was meeting more people in his sweats. Though before peeling Lex’s hand of his knee, he squeezed long fingers tight, human tight, and smiled at his friend. “Be right back.”

It was easy to listen to everyone arriving as he changed at human speed. No need to rush. Chloe and Pete had come by with Clark’s homework. Lana had decided to take a ride past the house, again. And Kyla had arrived to see him. Well, at least she offered an honest answer. 

Tension in the kitchen was even thicker when he got back than when he’d left. Even the excited cries of “Clark” and “You’re okay” accompanied by hugs couldn’t stop Jonathan from glaring. And Pete seemed to have joined in once he realized Lex was there. Damn it, Clark was not putting up with this.

And he knew just how to make his point. To a few people.

He shrugged out of his friends’ reaches. “Dad, I’ll take care of the back fence.” He kissed his mother on the cheek as he passed. Then he stopped next to Lex. “Hey, remember what you said when we met?”

“The first time?” Lex asked, eyebrow raised, eyes dancing with curiosity.

“The second,” Clark said dryly. “Obviously.”

“I’ll never forget.”

Good, he got it. “I was scared. I didn’t really answer right.”

“Oh?”

“I should have said, ‘You did.’”


	11. No More Lies: Kyla

The back fence, specifically on the far side of the grazing land, did need some repairs. Clark had heard his father mention it off and on the last few days as something he just hadn’t gotten to. Nothing was going to let cows out, but a good storm and there would be holes.

Kyla followed him out of the house, dogging his heels as he started piling tools and lumber into the truck. He could haul it all to the fence line faster himself, but he wanted to work at human speed for a bit. It felt good to be stretching and moving.

“Naman,” Kyla said, catching his shoulder in delicate but strong hands.

Clark froze, but not for the reasons he assumed Kyla would want. “Don’t call me that,” he said firmly.

“Why not? It is who you are.”

He turned to her and shook his head. “No, it’s not. I’m Clark Kent. Naman is a myth, an old legend which may or may not have some seeming similarities to me.”

“You came from the stars, just was it was foretold.”

“But why?” Clark asked, and he couldn’t keep his tone from being plaintive. “Was I sent away to fulfill your legend? Or because something happened to my home? My parents didn’t want to send me away, but my mother never said anything about legends or destiny.”

“Your mother?” Kyla looked surprised. “I thought you remembered nothing before you came here.”

“I didn’t. Now I do. I… recovered the memories while I was thinking the last few days. I don’t know why I’m here, but I refuse to let old legends dictate my choices for the future.”

Kyla studied him, a small frown on her lips. “And what does that mean for me?” She didn’t rub the bracelet on her wrist, but they both felt the knowledge lurking.

“I don’t know.” It wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but it was the truth. “I think I like you. I like knowing someone likes me back.” His eyes glanced over at the farmhouse, the horse tied up to the porch. “But we barely know each other. So is that enough?”

This time Kyla did touch her bracelet. Then twisted it, and slowly pulled it off her wrist. “I think…” She held it out. “If you figure it out, let me know.”

He let her place the bracelet in his palm. There were a lot of things he could say. Many of them would hurt her, and he didn’t really want that. “Thank you,” he said instead. 

“I should go.” She looked uncomfortable. Like a trapped dog. Or wolf.

“I hope… I’ll see you around?”

She nodded, but scampered off to her car quite quickly. As she drove off, he finished loading the truck and tried to ignore the conversation inside the farmhouse, speculating what they’d discussed. And the weight of the bracelet now sitting in his pocket.


	12. No More Lies: Pete

Pete was out the door before Clark could start the truck.

“What was that, man? She just baled on you? After the last week? And what was with you this last week? I mean, everyone’s so worried, but now you’re awake but still not saying anything. And Luthor’s here. Why is Luthor here?”

Clark just stared at his friend, waiting for Pete to pause, if only for a breath. But it never came.

“Is that why you’re up and about again? Because Luthor was bothering you and you had to get away? You can always hide out at my place. Or is that why you shut down in the first place, only it didn’t work?”

Enough. Clark clapped a hand over Pete’s mouth, his fingers gripping his oldest friend’s jaw tightly. Maybe enough to bruise.

“I shut down because I was tired of the lies,” Clark spat while Pete continued to wiggle under his grip. “And on the subject of honesty, I know you hate Lex, and I’m sick to death of hearing it. He’s my friend, and a decent man despite his father. Get over it.”

Pete paused, finally, and Clark let go. He wiggled his jaw a few times before opening it to speak. “I know the lies are tough. You could have come to me, though, if you needed to talk. Nothing hidden between us anymore.”

He couldn’t help it. Clark laughed. “Nothing between us? You really think that? Just because I told you… Pete, there’s more to me than where my parents are from. Everyone has secrets, things they don’t share. You included.”

Good, that hit the mark. Pete flinched. It was minute, but Clark was watching for it.

“How’d you do on the last trig test?” The offhanded question caught Pete off guard and he just looked confused. “The extra credit problem?”

“Oh, man, that was hard. I didn’t have a clue,” Pete said.

“I did. Made perfect sense to me. Most math does. High school level has been boring to me since I was ten.” He glared at Pete’s shocked expression. “And that, not Lex, not Kyla, not my birth parents, or any other excuse you could come up with on the fly, was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Now excuse me. I have a week’s backlog of chores to finish and I want to get the fences repaired before supper.”

As he drove off, Clark watched Pete in the rearview mirror. His oldest friend was staring after him, looking even more confused and angry than he did when Clark told him about being an alien. Damn. 

As he turned the corner, Clark saw Jonathan come out to talk to Pete, but deliberately didn’t tune in on their conversation. He didn’t want to know.


	13. No More Lies: Lana

Lana didn’t show up until Clark had fixed several sections of rail and replaced one of the uprights. It was good she didn’t arrive until after the latter since he’d installed the new upright by hand. Really, after Nixon he should be more cautious about how he used his abilities around the farm, or not use them at all. But strangely that was one thing Jonathan had never really requested.

Riding her horse across the grazing land, Lana was smiling, but it looked a bit pained by the time she pulled up beside him.

“Hey, Clark,” she said in her soft voice.

“Hey, Lana.” He smiled back at her, but it didn’t feel the same anymore.

“You seem to be feeling better.” He shrugged. That was a matter of opinion really. “We were all rather worried.”

“I didn’t mean to worry anyone.” He was a little tired of hearing that line. Even Lex had said something similar, so maybe he really had screwed up.

He watched her as she moved with her horse, how she frowned and smiled with each shift. He wondered what she was thinking, but had a bad feeling it was back to wanting to feel safe and how Clark didn’t make her feel safe now.

“Look, Lana, I’ve liked you for a long time.” A half smile quirked his lips and her eyes widened in shock. “You know that, though I’m not good at saying it. The thing is... there’s a lot about me you don’t know. And I don’t think you’d like me so much, not that way, if you did know me.” He’d never forget how she’d said she’d be afraid to meet an alien. And how Whitney made her feel safe.

“Clark, I’m not sure what you’re saying.”

“That I’d like to be friends, but we’re never going to be more than that. I’m accepting that, and I hope you’ll accept that too.”

He wondered if that was the look she’d given Whintey when he said he was joining the Marines. Confused. Horrified. Like something had turned the world on its head. Actually it was rather reminiscent of the photo used _Times_ cover all those years ago. Though he’d never dare say that to her.

“I… I need…” She froze, which made her horse shuffle uncomfortably. “Is this about Kyla?”

“No,” he said firmly. “I just told her something similar. I don’t think I’m in a good place for a relationship.” He shrugged, and she glared. “All this week, everything I did, or didn’t do, was about wondering… well, wondering who I am. Who I want to be. What it means to be Clark Kent. I think I need to focus on that for awhile, though I’ll try to be a little more aware of everyone else from now on.”

“I’m not sure I understand.” She sounded so plaintive.

Clark thought about it a moment, then hoped he figured out the right example. “Freshman year, when you found out your aunt had been lying about your mother and quit cheerleading. Remember how you felt then?”

“Yes.” The word was barely audible.

“The lies got to me too. But I didn’t get a job at the Beanery.”

“Good luck finding your answers then.” The words were understand, but the tone was still full of confusion. And hurt. “I should get Trigger here back home.”

“Have a safe ride.”

And somehow, seeing her go this time was a relief, and not because she’d been wearing her meteor necklace. He’d let her go, and it felt good. It might be awkward for a bit, but the constant emotional upheaval on his part was over


	14. No More Lies: Chloe

Chloe arrived last, driven out by Pete. But Pete stayed with his car, watching Clark with suspicious eyes.

With firm strides, Chloe stomped up to Clark and slugged him hard in the shoulder. Normally he would have winced, moved away, pretended it hurt. It should have hurt. But today he didn’t feel like playing the game that she didn’t know was a game.

“What the hell, Clark? Seven days of worrying while you play statue, and now you’re up and around but driving everyone insane? Pete won’t stop glaring but won’t tell me what you said. Lex is glaring at your father like he kicked a puppy. And Kyla and Lana…”

Well, at least some things hadn’t changed. Chloe still didn’t like talking about the other girls in his life.

Clark shrugged and gently tapped another nail in with a hammer. “I told them all the truth.”

“Hmmm, and what does that have to do with the statue routine?”

Really, he should have driven Chloe away from his life years ago. Her constant questions could be the end of him some day. Then again, so could his friendship with Lex.

“I… It’s just…” Damn, all that thought and he still didn’t know how to tackle Chloe. “I hate lies.”

“Ooookay.” She was looking at him like he was a mystery to solve.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, small shoulders, big hands. “No one ever seems to see it, not all of it anyway, but my life is full of lies.”

“Like, ‘Yes, Chloe, I want to go out with you, not Lana’?”

Ouch. “That wasn’t a lie. It wasn’t complete, or always well thought out, and there were other influences, but it wasn’t a lie.”

Chloe snorted, but softened a little.

“I’m tired of lying at school. About how well I could do. It’s funny how everyone notices the kid who always gets a perfect score, but no one notices the one who gets an eighty-five on every test.”

“Every test?”

“Well,” he drawled, “Ninety percent. I might do a little better or worse sometimes, depending on whether I parse the teacher’s intended point schedule right.”

“Clark… that’s… why would you do that?”

“Because my parents don’t want me attracting attention. You wouldn’t believe the lecture I got when I was six and my teacher was suggesting I should skip a grade. Or two.”

“But… it’s not like you’re a school unknown. Everyone knew about you and Whitney, and Lana. And there was that bid for class president last year.”

Clark threw his head back and let out a laugh. “You have no idea how scared I was when I told my parents what Pete had done. And they told me to go with it. I don’t think they even realize when they contradict themselves. No, I know they don’t.” Or he did now. Lex had caught them out. Did that mean they’d start thinking things through?

“I don’t understand.”

“That’s because there’s a lot you don’t know.” He pressed a finger to her lips before the questions lurking behind them could come pouring out. “And yes, you could ask, or investigate on your own. But I’m asking you not to.”

“Why?” she asked around his finger, glaring up through her bangs.

“Because I don’t’ want to die. Or end up in a lab.”

“So you are a meteor freak.” Her eyes lit up.

“No.” He shook his head. “I could be more. I could be the best scoop you’d ever make. And in setting yourself up for life, you’d destroy me.”

She went from bouncing on her toes to standing stock still. “I’d never… Clark, how could you think I’d do anything to hurt you?”

“Rachel Dunlevey.” The name spilled from his lips and dropped like a rock. Chloe rocked back as though they’d actually hit her.

“I never intended….”

“Exactly. You didn’t intend. But sometimes intentions are not enough.”

She stood there, frozen, almost as he had sat for the last week. After studying her a moment, taking in the depth of thought that seemed to be going on behind her eyes, he went back to hammering in nails much slower than he could.

Two rails later, she finally spoke. “Why are you telling me this now? If you don’t trust me?”

“Oh, Chloe.” He turned back to her with a smile. “In most things I trust you completely. You’re my friend. And I’m tired of lying to my friends. I want… I want to be honest where I can, and at least not lie when I can’t tell the whole truth.”

“I need… time to think.”

Nodding, Clark said, “Of course.” He watched her as she walked slowly back to the car and Pete. He saw Pete question her, and how she just shook her head and refused to answer. It was a relief when the car pulled out and Pete wasn’t glaring at him anymore.


	15. A Second Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who are following this story: I'm out of town the next week and a half, so updates are on hiatus. I'll hopefully be picking this back up with further ideas when I get back. I think Who Am I is almost done, but some of the logistics are still escaping me. Thank you all for your patience.

Fences repaired, Clark was pleased to come home and find Lex still in the kitchen, helping Martha out with dinner prep.

“Hey Lex, Mom. Can I help?”

“Go wash up,” Martha ordered. “We’re set here.” Lex just smiled over her shoulder.

When Clark got back after a quick shower, his father was sitting at the table, pointedly ignoring Lex.

“Fences are all solid, Dad,” Clark said as he swung into the kitchen for a drink.

“Glass,” Martha snapped the moment he pulled the milk jug from the fridge, and Clark was tempted to drink from the bottle anyway. However, the comment felt so delightfully normal he grabbed the glass he had been going for and poured it full.

Martha served the table, giving Clark even more food than he’d usually select for himself. Sure he hadn’t eaten much lately, but it didn’t really bother him for some reason. Food was nice, and he packed away the plateful in the tense silence that filled the dining room, but he could have lived without it.

Watching Lex’s shoulders get tighter and tighter under his tailored shirt over the course of the meal, Clark rather wished he had skipped dinner.

Only once everyone’s plates were clean and coffee was served did Martha break the silence. “Clark… we’re trying to understand what upset you last week. Lex has told us some of his theories, but it would be nice to hear your thoughts.”

Clark glanced at Lex, who looked tense, and Jonathan, who looked angry, before he sighed. “I’m tired of lying.”

“That doesn’t exactly explain much,” Jonathan bit out. “And I’m not sure we should be airing our family issues before Luthor.”

“Lionel I would understand, but I have nothing to hide from Lex,” Clark said.

“Clark—“

“No,” Clark cut in firmly, before his father could get going. “I got good grades on a test. Any other parent in town would be glad, would be proud. I get that I can’t tell anyone about a lot of other things. I understand, I think, why you expressed such concerns when I was younger. But this is ridiculous. I’m never going to make it into college with the scores I have. So you need to decide what is most important: me being invisible, or me being enough myself to move forward.”

Silence reigned. Jonathan’s jaw ground tight.

“We’ve only ever wanted you to be safe,” Martha said, shooting an uncertain look at Lex. 

“I know, Mom, but somewhere along the way we tried too hard on some things and not enough on others. Or Nixon would never have targeted me, or Phalen. And we wouldn’t be having blowups over school work.”

“This isn’t about school work,” Jonathan snapped. “None of this would be a problem if it weren’t for him.” He pointed at Lex. “Phalen and Nixon were his fault.”

“I’ll admit I accidentally got Nixon started, but I would have helped with Phalen if anyone had told me what the problem was,” Lex countered. “And I both tried to stop Nixon, and did stop Nixon.”

“That’s the problem with owing a Luthor anything. They never let you forget the slightest favor,” Jonathan said.

Clark slammed his hands into the table, just pulling back before he broke something. “Stop blaming Lex for our failure as a family to adjust to the change in potential threats.” Tears filled his eyes. 

“Clark,” Martha said softly.

“Clark,” Jonathan snapped.

Pushing to his feet, Clark turned away from them both. He caught Lex’s eyes and mouthed “sorry” before he stalked out of the house and back to the barn. In seven days, he had learned a lot about himself and what he wanted in life. Maybe in another seven days his parents, his father, would learn what was most important to them.


	16. Day 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back. Hope you enjoy this. We're getting close to the end of this one.

Clark refrained from listening in on the conversation, or probably loud argument, he left behind. To avoid hearing, he slipped deep into his memories, searching for insight into how to get through to his father. Or at least some pointed examples of the man’s hypocrisy.

When he surfaced, a shadow cut off the sun bathing his face. Hands firmly gripped his shoulders and tried to yank him forward, then shove him backward. Except, being an alien, it took only a slight tensing of muscles to make moving him completely impossible for human strength.

“Damn it, Clark, stop this stupidity. You have responsibilities. All this sitting around can’t continue.”

Jonathan. 

“You will let go of this stupidity about school.”

Doesn’t look like he stopped and thought.

“And stop talking to that Luthor.”

Clark’s eyes flew open and he took in his father’s red face. “No.”

Jonathan stopped trying to shake Clark and his right hand flew up and across Clark’s face. He immediately bellowed in pain and hunched over his hand. Clark checked. Two fractured bones.

“Damn it, Jonathan.”

They’d both missed the sound of Martha on the stairs.

“I told you to stay away from Clark until you’d calmed down.”

“He’s—“

“Shut up, Jonathan. Clark, I’m so sorry. You just relax while your father and I work through a few things.”

“Martha, he needs to get over this.”

“No, Jonathan. You need to get over yourself and start thinking about how to best help your son. You just don’t like hearing it because Lex was the one to point out how badly we were failing as parents.”

“You’re not failing.” Clark had to cut in.

“Hush, Clark. We’ve made mistakes. It’s time for us to admit it. 

“Now, how badly did you hurt yourself, Jonathan?”

“I’m fine.”

“Two fractures.”

“Hospital it is then. Clark, I set a lunch tray on your desk. You better eat all of it before I get back. You can focus inside or work around the farm, or even visit with your friends. Just make sure you eat and take care of yourself, and avoid your father until we sort a few things out.”

“Yes, Mom.”

“Come along, Jonathan. Before you break something else.”

Clark smiled to himself as he listened to the truck drive off, his father in the passenger seat despite his protests. It seemed Mom was listening.

And Clark decided to listen in on Lex and see what his friend was up to.


	17. Day 9

“Hey, you’re not making like a statue.”

Clark looked up from his book and smiled at Chloe. “As long as I avoid Dad it doesn’t seem necessary.”

Chloe cocked her head at the top of the stairs, her face full of the curiosity that made her such a great reporter. But, after a moment, and without saying a word, she visibly shoved the curiosity down and smiled politely. “I’m glad. Though we miss you at school.”

“My parents are still arguing over some changes to my schooling.” Clark patted the couch next to where he perched on the arm. “Is that my homework?”

She held up the sheave of papers she’d brought up to the loft and offered them to Clark as she sat. “Not sure you need these then, if you’re looking at new classes.”

“Doesn’t hurt to keep up and impress the administrators as much as possible.” A quick flip through the papers found notes (Chloe’s and a few by Pete) and homework assignments for the last two days. “Thanks for bringing these.”

“Have you been keeping up?”

He gestured at the desk by the wall, covered with completed assignments he’d finished that morning. It hadn’t taken long.

“That doesn’t look like school reading.” She tugged at the book still in his hands. “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire? That’s some pretty heavy reading.”

“It passes the time.” Clark found that time outside of meditation or testing his powers passed very slowly without further distractions. Books helped.

“I guess you are some kind of closet genius, if that’s not putting you to sleep,” Chloe teased. “Though I don’t recall ever seeing it around here before. Doesn’t seem the kind of thing your father would keep.”

He chuckled and flipped to the inside cover and showed her the book plate.

“Luthor Library? Does Lex know you’ve been raiding his books?” She glanced around and spotted the two stacks of books Clark had slipped in and borrowed once he finished his homework.

“No,” he admitted. “Well, not that stack. But he’s offered me full access since last year.” Hopefully Lex wouldn’t mind that Clark had walked off with half the history selection this time.

“Wow. You have the coolest friends.”

Clark cupped her shoulder. “Yes, I do.”

Chloe looked away and frowned. “No… I don’t qualify. Not now. Not after what I’ve done.”

“Chloe—“

“No, you’re right. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and the desire for a good story does not always mean good intentions. I’ve done some stuff… looking back, that I’m not proud of. I haven’t been a good friend. But… I’m hoping I can learn to be a better one. So while I have a lot of questions, I’m not going to ask.”

He took a deep breath, then said, “Thank you.”

“Though… I may slip from time to time and I hope you won’t hold it against me too much.” She looked up at him so plaintively.

Nudging her shoulder with his elbow, Clark smiled. “I’ll remind you of your better intentions. Promise.”


	18. Day 11

“Your parents still ignoring you?”

Clark jumped away from the bookshelf and turned towards the voice. Lex. Oops. Clark had thought his friend would be at work by this hour, or he would have stopped in and said hi before raiding the library.

Nodding, Clark smiled sheepishly. “Sorry for invading.”

Lex waved that off. “You’re welcome over here anytime. You know that. I assume you’re the reason my library has been sprouting bare spots the last few days.”

Clark nodded.

“Is that enough to keep you entertained?”

Shrugging, Clark said, “Better than my homework.”

“Glad to hear you’re keeping up with your schoolwork at least.” Lex crossed his arms and looked around the room thoughtfully. “Is there a subject you’d like to look into specifically? I could make some recommendations.”

“I’m just working my way through sections and filing away details,” Clark said. He gestured at the section behind him. “I’ve finished most of the history area. Now I’ll recognize more of those people and dates you’re always talking about. I was thinking literature next. I can memorize facts and dates pretty easily, but I have to think about the themes and plots in literature to make sense of it.”

Lex stared at the shelves of history books that filled half the library in a moment of wide eyed shock. But he covered it pretty fast.

“I’ll have to test you more in the future. But if you want to identify themes, I suggest working through a specific time and genre at a time. How’s your French?”

“Not very good.” Clark wasn’t sure what Lex had expected. Math books were easy enough to get his hands on, but learning languages from books didn’t work very well. Then again, Clark had never really tried and was just quoting what he remembered reading on the internet when he’d considered it a few years ago.

“We should fix that, but you can start with the translations. Victor Hugo and the Dumas’.” Lex pulled off a stack of novels, picking every other book off one shelf. A close look indicated those left behind were titled in French. “And a book of basic French. I’ll test you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Clark tried to track as much disbelief into that word as he could, but he still held out his hands and accepted the stack of books Lex shoved towards him.

Lex raised an eyebrow. “You just read my entire history section in… two, three days?”

Clark felt his cheeks heat up. He had implied that, hadn’t he?

“Then you can make a dent in that today and memorize the basics of French. Once you’ve done that, the rest will be easy to develop with practice.”

“Lex…?”

“Clark…” Lex paused, visibly considering his words. “You say you can memorize facts and figures with ease. I know you can crunch numbers with an ease that makes me insanely jealous. A few weeks of business conversations and you develop a business plan for the farm that I would never have considered, and should work. I refuse to dismiss your intelligence the way your parents have.”

Clark knew his jaw had dropped open, but he couldn’t find the focus to draw it back up. Lex’s words were echoing in his ears and an incredible warmth filled his chest.

“Thank you,” he whispered.


	19. Day 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is basically the end, setting out the solution, for now. I believe I'll write an epilogue chapter or two, showing how it all turns out ( and maybe a bit of Clex if the muse agrees). I hope everyone enjoyed the ride.

Barking drew Clark’s attention to the main floor of the barn. He set his book aside and slipped quietly down the stairs. There was some chance his father had brought a dog onto the farm, in which case Clark would pass on being spotted.

But his father was nowhere around. Instead, Clark found Lex leading an eager looking dog into the barn, a lab mix from his size and coloring.

“Lex?”

“Clark. How are you today?”

“Fine… Lex? What are you doing with a dog?”

“This is Hugh. Why don’t you come say hello?” Lex knelt down next to the dog and beckoned. Clark felt himself drawn over by a sweet smile and a pair of eager brown eyes.

“Hugh, huh? Hey there, big fella.” 

Such a sweet dog. Not a puppy, Hugh had some age on him, but the gray was sparse and he was eager enough to chase a stick when Lex urged them out into the yard. Clark didn’t even notice the time passing until the truck pulled up in front of the house and Jonathan got out.

Jonathan frowned when he saw Lex with Clark, but something restrained his tongue. Instead of the rant Clark expected, Jonathan went straight inside after only a moment of staring.

“Well then, time to talk,” Lex said, walking over to his car. Clark watched, confused, as Lex picked up several folders from his front seat. “Coming?” he asked, walking towards the house.

“Umm, Lex, I’m supposed to avoid Dad for the moment.” Clark didn’t realize Hugh was still next to him until a warm, furry head butted up against his hand.

“The exile is over,” Lex said. “Or at least, negotiations have begun in truth. Come on. And bring Hugh.”

Uncertain, Clark did as requested. He expected his mother to send him packing like she had when he slipped in to drop off his dishes while people were awake two days ago. Instead, she met Lex with a smile and waved them both in.

“You’ve got it all?”

Lex placed the folders in her hands. “I added a bonus or two, but everything we discussed is in there.”

“What is this?” Jonathan asked, but he kept his tone moderate and stayed on the far side of the kitchen.

“What we discussed the last few days,” Martha said. “Lex helped us pull it all together.”

“Pull what together, Mom?” Clark slid up to the counter, Hugh’s nails clicking on the wood floors behind him.

“An explanation,” Lex said. “A fix. A way for you to be yourself.” He flipped open the first file after Martha set them on the counter. “According to this, Clark entered a catatonic state after an argument with his parents. The psychiatrist identified the problem as being the need to suppress his intelligence for fear of being abandoned as he was by his birth parents. The argument over his actual intellectual abilities slipping through caused him to retreat, thereby avoiding the abandonment he expected to result.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Jonathan said. He stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall.

“No, it’s quite reasonable given Clark’s background,” Lex said. “I spoke with several qualified psychiatrists before choosing Dr. Bradshaw to signed off on all the paperwork I have here. All the details are logical—“

“You got some shrink to lie,” Jonathan cut in. “Paid some shrink to lie.”

“Shut up, Jonathan,” Martha snapped with a pointed glare. “I asked Lex to help, and if he was willing to throw some money around to protect our son we should be grateful.”

“Unless you’d prefer to tell the truth?” Lex asked dryly, radiating his persona of the prefect businessman, the one that really pissed Jonathan off the most.

“Stop it,” Clark said softly, patting Lex on the arm. 

Lex turned. “Pardon?”

“Drop the Luthor mask. It just makes Dad defensive.”

Lex flinched, but when he turned back to Jonathan, there was a visible shift in his presence. “I don’t know what all you’re protecting about Clark, but I would like to help. This”—He gestured to the stack of folders—“is a small thing for me, but would be very difficult for you. Please, let me help.”

“Jonathan may grumble face to face with it, but he agreed to let you help,” Martha said, shooting another glare Jonathan’s way. “I cannot fully express our gratitude for all you’ve done.”

Lex smiled, an expression that really reached his eyes for once. It made Clark smile too.

“So, what have you come up with?” Clark asked. He’d been very careful not to listen in, though he did have a few things to give Lex about what his father was up to (Lionel was not happy about his foreign deals getting sabotaged by LexCorp).

“This report explains what happened to you and how Dr. Bradshaw treated you. You are officially safe to return to your life as long as his recommendations are followed.”

Clark frowned a little. It sounded a lot like more lies, which he wasn’t ecstatic about.

Lex patted Clark’s arm. “Hey, I know the lies make you tetchy, but for anyone else psychiatric help would have been called in immediately. It’s a logical concept for the general public.”

Slowly, Clark nodded. “I know. I’m just….”

“I’m sorry, Clark,” Martha said, coming around the counter and wrapping her arms around her son’s shoulders. “I wish we didn’t have to lie about this, but this should allow us to remove some of the other lies and hopefully you’ll feel more comfortable.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Clark leaned into his mother’s arms for a moment, but then pulled away to look over the folder. “I should probably read all this, just so I know what we’re telling the school administrators.”

“Excellent idea.” Lex slid the top folder to Clark before flipping open the one below it. “Now, these reports indicate Dr. Bradshaw believes that Clark has been hiding an impressive intellect out of fear that his simple, but loving, parents would reject him for a variety of reasons.”

The words were matter of fact, but somehow, under the tone, Clark could tell Lex felt the theory was completely true. And Clark had to admit he had feared that. Still did. Well, admit it to himself anyway.

“So, these are suggestions that Clark be tested and moved into more advanced classes based on the results. I also have forms here that will allow Clark to take some college level courses for those areas Smallville High simply isn’t capable of meeting his needs.”

“How are we supposed to pay for those classes?” Jonathan asked, still sounding somewhat aggrieved. “Or are we to depend on you for that too?”

“In a manner of speaking, I suppose,” Lex said.

Clark slipped the folder from Lex’s hands and skimmed through it quickly. Advanced math, that made sense, history, languages. But one caught his eye and he cut in on the brewing argument. “Am I reading this right? A business class?”

“You show an excellent aptitude for the thought process,” Lex said.

“But this says you’re teaching it. How is that possible?”

Lex smirked. “I might have made an arrangement with Kansas A&M. They’ll be sending a few of their agriculture students around for classes on running a farm as an effective business. Most of them will be providing papers on theoretical businesses practices, but I thought you might try a more practical project.”

“The farm?” Clark asked, shocked. “Oh, no, I couldn’t—“

“Clark, Lex showed me some of your business proposals,” Martha said, cutting off his panic. “They’ve got real potential. We’ll work with you to find the best one.”

“Which your parents promised to do when we started this arrangement, but now you’ll get some college credit for the work.” Lex looked so damned proud of himself, Clark felt his objections melt. “A year or so and I truly believe you’ll be running with a savings, so the classes won’t be an issue.”

“And until then?” Jonathan said. “We go further into your debt?”

Lex sighed, an admission of stress the Luthor mask would normally prevent. “No, you’ll let Clark pay his own way.”

“Pardon?” Clark cut in before Jonathan could snap again.

“Clark, you’ve been doing solid work for me for almost a year now, work I would normally hire well paid consultants to do. Or just let the tests go on and see if things fail. I knew your parents would never allow me to pay me what you’re worth, but I couldn’t keep letting you work for free.”

“Lex, I like helping you.”

That made Lex smile. “I know, but you still deserve some compensation for your work. Even interns at LuthorCorp get a stipend.”

“My son is not working for LuthorCorp.”

“Shut up, Jonathan,” Martha snapped again. “Lex explained this to me earlier. Clark has been working for Lex, or LexCorp, not LuthorCorp, so settle down.”

“I set aside a small fee for each project you help on, nothing like what I should be paying you, but it is adding up. The money goes into a trust account I created in your name. When you turn eighteen I’d intended to hand over the paperwork and leave it to you to decide what to do. I can’t give you full access now based on the trust I set up, but I can give you limited access for school related costs.”

“So… what else is there in that stack?” Clark asked, feeling overwhelmed. He needed to think about the money issues later. 

“Just the last report listing suggestions for avoiding another catatonic state. Which is why I brought Hugh.”

“Hugh?” Martha asked even as Clark turned to the dog who had been sitting behind his stool all this time.

“Hugh is a trained companion dog,” Lex said. “His last companion died and they were going to put him out to pasture, but he’s still young enough to keep Clark company through high school.”

“I… I don’t understand,” Jonathan said, his expression sour as he made the admission.

“Someone who’s gone into a catatonic state for psychiatric reasons shouldn’t be left completely alone, but Clark isn’t going to put up with constant company.” Lex raised an eyebrow, and Clark nodded. That would get old. 

“Hugh here knows how to behave in buildings and will watch over Clark. If he ever refuses to wake up or otherwise shows signs of falling into a fugue, Hugh will get help or bark until help comes.”

Surprised, Clark looked down at Hugh, who looked up at him with a lolling tongue and intelligent eyes. “Huh.” He leaned down as scratched Hugh behind the ears, resulting in the same happy looking dog he’d seen outside. “I’m not going to shut down again.” 

Lex shrugged. “Then Hugh gets to retire to a beautiful farm in the Kansas countryside and play fetch with the owners’ son.”


	20. epilogue 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think there's at least one more scene to the epilogue. After that, we'll have to see about sequels or follow up one shots.

Six Months Later

Clark sped to the outskirts of the Luthor grounds with Hugh in his arms. When he stopped outside the gates, he set Hugh down gently and patted the eagerly panting dog on the head. Hugh loved letting Clark carry him through the fields around town, which meant Clark had no excuse to ever leave his companion dog behind. Not that he wanted to.

Grabbing Hugh’s leash, Clark led the way down the drive. As they walked, he used his special vision to look through the walls. He located Lex’s skeleton bending over his pool table, then adjusted until he could see inside the room rather than looking through everything. Lex was smiling.

Practice allowed Clark to keep focused on Lex until he reached the front steps, but even he couldn’t manage to walk through a building while looking through all the walls. 

Lex looked up from the table as Clark and Huge walked through the door. ”Hey, Clark. Got your report card?”

“Yep.” Clark dropped his backpack by the couch and dug out the paperwork he’d been handed before he left school.

“Hmmm, acceptable,” Lex said as he reviewed Clark’s grades.

Clark stuck out his tongue. Then leaned down and released Hugh from his leash, letting the dog off duty for a few.

Smiling, Lex leaned his pool cue against the wall and moved to his desk, handing the papers back on his way. “They’re just high school classes.”

“You saw the college level grades last month,” Clark protested, crossing his arms and pouting.

“Hmm, those were impressive. Still signed up for diffi-ques this summer?”

“And planning to sleep through it,” Clark said with an eyeroll. He’d tried to test out of a few more classes, but administrators were starting to insist on him proving himself through classes. He’d tested out of a few too many and they didn’t believe he really knew the material.

“As long as you bring in the A, the classes will keep getting better.”

“Hmm.” Clark sprawled across the couch, Hugh tucking his head under Clark’s hand. “Still boring.”

Lex leaned back in his chair, propping his feet on the top of his desk. “Then let’s see if I can keep you entertained. How are the deliveries to Metropolis going?”

“Well. Really well.” Clark’s heart seemed to swell in his chest at Lex’s smile. “We have enough orders to start shipping a full truck every day, and Tom Branson is willing to take on the shipments for the same fees per load.”

“Wonderful. You might just end up paying off one of those loans this year.”

“Oh, we will, but because of the wedding contracts, not the restaurant contracts. And I know those are your fault.”

Lex smirked. “I have no idea what you’re saying.”

“Right… You have nothing to do with all the elite of Metropolis suddenly preferring Kent Organic vegetables and flowers at their weddings.”

“Okay, I might have made a few comments last time I was dragged to a jet set crowd wedding. But all businesses know the importance of connections and good word of mouth.”

“True, but I don’t think the success at wedding supply should count towards the results I’m being graded on.”

“Hmm.” Lex tapped his chin with his forefinger. “Very well. But you do have to explain why, when you have enough restaurant orders for two trucks a day, you’re only increasing to one.”

“Not enough produce to send. We didn’t plant enough to provide for that many orders.”

“What if you partnered with… Grayson and Holt farms?” Lex tapped his chin again. “And isn’t there another?”

“Pent, but they’ve only just switched to organic farming two years ago, so they can’t get certification on the same level as the rest.”

“So? Set up the consortium. Grayson and Holt are certified to the right level. And lord knows Kent farms isn’t the only one that could use a boost in this town.”

Clark felt his cheeks warm and he looked away from Lex. “I… never mentioned that idea to my parents. It’s too soon.”

Lex swung his feet down and leaned forward, propping his elbows on his desk. “Clark, this class isn’t just for improving the finances. It’s also about improving your confidence. We roughed up a consortium proposal months ago as a lesson. I want to see an updated version including current information, on Thursday, and you will tell your parents. Tonight.”

“Lex….” Clark whimpered, his stomach feeling tight. Hugh whined under Clark’s hand, nosing his side so he knew he wasn’t alone. Clark didn’t know exactly how Hugh had been trained to know these things, but the dog was very good at being supportive.

“Confidence, Clark. You know this is a sound proposition, and your parents are learning to listen to you. So present it. With facts to back it up.”

Clark closed his eyes and took a deep breath, leaning into Hugh’s furry body for a moment. “I can do this,” he said to himself, something Dr. Bradshaw had recommended on one of the few occasions they actually met. The doctor didn’t know exactly how Clark had retreated, but his analysis and guidance had been quite accurate and effective in the months since.

“Yes you can.”

When Clark opened his eyes, Lex was kneeling next to Hugh beside the couch. Long, pale fingers wrapped around Clark’s sun bronzed digits, thumb rubbing where calluses should be.

“I’ve given you the nudge and a few basic tools, but these plans to turn the farm around have been all you, Clark. The consortium of farms was your idea from the start.”

Clark smiled, and nodded. “I know.” He gripped Lex’s hand tightly for a moment, then released, sitting up. “I’ll talk to them tonight. Thanks, Lex.”

“Any time.” Lex’s smile seemed to make the air in Clark’s lungs to overheat. “Now, you should head home. You have chores, and I bet your parents are looking forward to seeing those grades.”

“Right.” Clark stood as Lex moved away from the couch. Bending over, he snapped Hugh’s leash back on and grabbed his backpack, grades back inside. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Mrs. Pettigrew is already baking, so you’d better be here. I’ll get fat if I eat all those snacks by myself.”

“Nah.” Clark patted Lex’s flat stomach. “You’d find a way to work it all back off. Though really, you could use to put in a few pounds. You’re too skinny.” He echoed his mother’s common complaint, in her favorite tone, and they both laughed.

“Be here at six, if the cows will let you go early. I got in another movie.”

“You and your prerelease DVDs.” Not that Clark was really complaining, though Pete did often enough when Clark had already seen whatever blockbuster his friend was dying to catch. “With the consortium proposal.”

“Clark, it’s Saturday. Bring it by next week.”

Taking a deep breath, Clark shook his head. “Tomorrow. We should make the proposal while everyone’s interested. If we wait, customers will find alternatives and the chance will be gone.”

Lex smiled, that one that reached his eyes and said he was proud. “You learn well, young padwan.” Geek jokes just made that clearer.


	21. Epilogue 2

“Clark.” Martha smiled when Clark and Hugh walked in the door to the kitchen. “I expected you home right after school.”

Uh oh, she was frowning. “I swung by Lex’s. Short business discussion.”

“Ah, you don’t usually meet Fridays.”

“Sorry, Mom. Is tomorrow still okay?”

“Of course.” She smiled broadly, offering Clark a slice of pie and Hugh one of her home made dog treats. “Now finish that and head out to the barn. Your father has been waiting for you.”

Clark ate fast, but made sure to savor the sweet flavor of the pie. “You did something different,” he commented as he finished, and contemplated licking the plate. 

“Slight shift in the spices.”

“I like it.”

She smiled. “Good. We’ll see if the customers at the Talon agree. Now, go see your father.”

Clark bounced out of the house. Hugh followed at his heels even though Clark had removed his leash and let the dog off duty. Hugh usually followed even when he was off duty. He seemed to like following Clark around, and loved been carried around town when Clark was moving fast.

“Hey, Dad,” Clark chirped when bounded into the barn. Then he froze. Hugh bumped against his calves, making a worried whine, while Clark took in the truck sitting in the barn through path. It couldn’t be, but it looked like the same truck Lex had sent over almost two years ago.

“We decided…” Jonathan said, sounding a little tense and uncertain. “You’ve done a lot of good work lately.” He nodded towards the truck. “A gift. To help with getting to and from Kansas A&M this summer.”

“Dad?” Clark couldn’t believe it. Yeah, he knew Lex had kept the truck. Clark had seen it a few times when he’d been in the Manor’s garage, usually stealing one of Lex’s cars. But he’d never expected to see it here.

“It’s yours, sweetie.” Martha’s voice came from the doorway, and a moment later her hand rested on his shoulder. “We all discussed it. Hugh shouldn’t have to be carried to and from so much. It isn’t good for his back.”

Clark chuckled. He knew that was bull, but if it made his father more comfortable. “Thank you.” He turned and hugged her tightly. Then he gave Hugh a reassuring rub of the head and ran over to hug his father. “Thank you,” he repeated. “Thank you, thank you.”

“It’s two years old,” Jonathan grumbled. “But the mileage is good.”

Clark couldn’t hold back a laugh.

~o0o~

Clark explained the consortium idea over dinner, struggling with the hole in his stomach as he waited for his parents’ reaction.

“That sounds… quite impressive,” Martha said.

“Holt just put in those greenhouses,” Jonathan commented. “We could up the available vegetables in winter, not lose some of our contracts in the slow months.” He smiled. “That could work very nicely.”

It was hard, but Clark managed to keep a calm expression and not let out a massive sigh of relief. “I promised to run the proposal pass Lex tomorrow. We should be able to present it to Holt and Grayson next week.”

“Tom’s brother has a truck license. If we have enough orders, we could rent a second truck for the summer, look into buying one next year.” Jonathan was looking positively smug, and Clark ignored a surge of irritation. They could have tried this a year ago if he’d though his parents would listen. 

“I’ll run the numbers and build that into the proposal,” Clark promised. He was pretty sure it would be easy enough to buy the truck this summer, and much more cost effective, but he’d provide numbers and let everyone make up their own minds rather than trying to argue things now.

Jonathan started talking about his own ideas and suggestions, but Clark’s attention was drawn elsewhere when his hearing shifted. He still didn’t quite know how this particular power worked, but since it seemed to mainly focus in on certain names and voices, it was mostly handy enough. 

His mother noticed when he pulled out his cell phone (Lex had insisted on that expense, and Clark didn’t like to remember the fight that had ensued) and started texting. 

_Your father is talking to someone unfamiliar about you. He asked if the compound could be trusted to have the right effect. Then if everything was set at Belle Reve. Watch your back._

“Everything okay, Clark?” Martha asked after touching his arm to get his attention.

“Should be,” Clark said as he hit send. His hearing swung out in a new direction and he heard the chirp of Lex’s cell phone as the text went through.

“One of these days, Clark, you just might trust me enough to tell me how you know.”

Clark smiled at Lex’s comment and kept half an ear on his friend while Lex ordered changes to his security.

His cell phone chirped.

_I’ll be careful, but if I start acting weird, keep me away from him. Any idea who the mole in my staff is?_

_Not yet, but I’ll keep an ear out._

Clark sent his text and tucked his phone away. “Sorry.”

Jonathan frowned, but didn’t start the argument that was lurking under the surface. “I see you got your grades today.”

Smiling, Clark nodded. 

“You’re doing quite well.”

“Actually,” Martha jumped in, “I was wondering if you have enough classes for another two years?”

“Not really,” Clark said. Since Jonathan was staring at Martha, Clark took the opportunity to slip Hugh a piece of his pot roast. Not that the dog wouldn’t get his share later, but Hugh always appreciated treats of Martha’s cooking.

“What are you thinking of doing?” Martha asked. She’d caught him, but she always babied Hugh. It was Jonathan who disapproved spoiling the family pet. Ha.

“If I double up on English next year and take some art, I can get five classes and finish up my credits for high school. Then I can apply for college a year early, probably for acceptance as a sophomore or junior with my college credits.”

“Are you sure you want to jump ahead so early?” Martha asked.

“We’re not going to be ready to pay for college that soon,” Jonathan protested.

Clark stuffed down a sigh and resisted an eye roll. “I’m done. I could apply for college tomorrow with ease.” With his test scores he’d already been offered acceptances from several major universities and colleges, but he had refused them all. For now. “One more year I can manage, but I’ll be out of classes if I wanted to try for two. 

“As for paying, Lex is still paying me as a consultant and the trust he puts the money in allows me to pay for education before I reach eighteen.” He’d seen the paperwork from the bank last month. There was more than enough in that trust to pay for college at a local school, and after another year of consulting for LexCorp there’d be enough to cover one of the major private universities. If he wanted. 

Jonathan humphed, but resisted spewing vitriol and starting an argument. His opinion of Lex hadn’t changed, but he’d become a lot less vocal.

“What about your friends?” Martha asked.

Clark shrugged. “What about them?” Chloe was a good friend, if struggling with a lot of questions. Kyla had cut him off completely and he only heard occasionally from her people. Lana was friendly, but hadn’t taken well to romantic possibilities being completely cut off. And Pete… Pete was barely talking to him. Apparently lying about being an alien was okay, but lying about his abilities at school was not. Especially when he wouldn’t provide any _extra_ help to his friends.

“Chloe would miss you….”

Clark laughed. “Chloe would be happy emailing and demanding stories.”

“What about Pete?” 

Of course Jonathan had missed the truth of that matter for the last six months. “Pete’s moving to Wichita with his mother this summer.” And good riddance.

Jonathan opened his mouth, but shut it again without saying a word. Hopefully that was him being sensible enough not to ask about Lana.

“Have you discussed this plan with Lex?” 

Clark smiled at his mother, and shook his head. 

“Why not?” Jonathan almost sounded insulted on Lex’s behalf. That was a surprise.

“Because I run things by Lex, or by you two, when I’m not confident, but I know this is the right decision.”

Martha beamed proudly at him, and Jonathan almost looked pleased. Things had changed a lot in the last six months, and Clark was feeling pretty happy with the changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it. The last epilogue. I'll have to go back through someday and clean up the errors, maybe tighten a few parts up, but that's the story. I hope everyone enjoyed.


End file.
